The present invention relates to a medicament in the form of a caplet or tablet core which is covered with material to facilitate swallowing and subsequently at least partially colored to provide a multiple colored medicament.
Capsules have long been recognized as a preferred form of medicament for the delivery of active ingredients which may be in the form of powder, liquid or granules of different compositions, including ingredients which react at different times within the patient's body for providing sustained medical effects.
In view of the tamperability of conventional capsules made with hard shell capsule halves of different diameters which can be taken apart, steps have been taken including the belly banding of capsule halves to reduce the possibility of tampering. Although the sealing of capsule shell halves or belly banding of capsule shell halves has, in a large part, proven effective to either prevent tampering or at least make tampering evident to the consumer, some companies have preferred to manufacture solid dosage forms which are coated with gelatin as opposed to the conventional capsule dosage form. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,089,270; 5,213,738; 4,820,524; 4,867,983 and 4,966,771 represent different approaches to providing a capsule-shaped product in the form of a caplet having a coating which provides the appearance and, therefore, the consumer acceptability of the previously popular capsule.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,415,868 and 5,317,849 disclose different manners by which either hard shell capsule halves can be shrink-wrapped onto a caplet (the '868 patent) or a caplet core covered at opposite ends with a soft gelatin capsule shell half and subsequently dried to simulate a capsule-like medicament (the '849 patent). U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,631 suggests that studies have also shown the functional importance to consumers of providing a capsule-appearing solid dosage form which is multi-colored. The utilization of two colors functionally identifies the type of medication as well as provides a capsule-appearing product with a psychologically perceived medicinal efficacy. Aesthetically, also, consumers apparently prefer the attractive appearance of multi-colored capsules over single colored capsules.
Thus, there has been a rush by the pharmaceutical industry to provide over-the-counter caplet dosage forms which simulate the appearance of capsules and which have a variety of multiple colors which identify the type of medication provided so that the consumer can readily identify, for example, if the product is a particular type of analgesic or whether it includes antihistamines or other active ingredients in combination with analgesics. Such solid dosage forms have preferably been in the shape of a caplet and are identified as gelcaps when a solid caplet core is covered with a gelatin covering or geltabs where the core is in the shape of a conventional tablet with a gelatin coating.
Although the above noted patents teach different approaches to providing the consumer with a capsule-appearing medicament, they do so only at the significant expense in specialized manufacturing equipment and/or manufacturing processes.